Proshcheniye (Forgiveness)
by Cross77
Summary: Natasha explains herself to Grant while giving him hope in a future beyond darkness. Sequel to "Prison Break".


**AN: So, I really wasn't planning on making a sequel to "Prison Break" but I just started writing and this happened. I might continue farther, but I really don't know. Hope you guys and girls enjoy :)**

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She sat next to him at the fancy marble bar that Tony Stark had built into the Avengers' living area. He glanced up from his drink as she grabbed the bottle of vodka from his side and poured herself a shot.

"Good taste in alcohol," she commented, chugging down the shot.

He smiled slightly, nursing his own shot glass. Normally, when he wanted a hard drink, he'd drown himself fairly quick. But his mind was racing a thousand miles an hour. Everyone on the old team was no doubt plotting to get him back after Thor's rather comical prison rescue. He wanted to ask if he could stay at the tower with the Avengers, but he couldn't think that far yet. First, although he was immensely thankful for his abrupt release, he needed answers.

Taking a sip of his drink, he asked, "Why'd you break me out?"

"Aside from the fact that I'm gonna punch the daylights out of you for the eye candy remark?" asked Natasha, pouring herself another shot.

He nodded.

"Coulson's team are a bunch of god damn idiots, that's why," she said flatly.

He was shocked by her answer. If anything, he would have thought that Natasha quite liked the members of the S.H.I.E.L.D. team. Although, maybe that was a very poor assumption. She had, after all, told Thor to use any means necessary to get him out of there, which resulted in Skye getting knocked out. Grant was still slightly amused by that little part in the breakout. "What do you mean?" he asked, unsure where this was going.

The redhead shrugged her shoulders, hunching forward slightly to relax. "They were treating you like shit."

"I deserve to be treated like shit," he countered, letting a bit of his self-hatred leak into his voice.

She raised an eyebrow at him, smirking slightly as she took a sip of her next round. "Do you? Do you really? John Garrett," he stilled at the words, but she pressed on, "was a psychopathic shithead. I don't care if you disagree, he was. But you aren't. I did some digging, found some witnesses. Coulson never looked too close, probably because he was pissed like the stubborn ass he is, but you weren't at military school for those five years you supposedly were."

His entire body went rigid as he digested the information she presented. How could she know? Garrett had promised him that everything had been covered up. But then again, everything leaves a digital trace. And there were witnesses, people who knew him back at the military training camp. In fact, he was pretty sure Skye and Coulson could have found that out themselves, if they had even bothered. _That's a nice thought_ , he told himself sarcastically. He remained silent as he stared at her.

She continued after gauging his reaction. "I'm guessing he dropped you off in the middle of nowhere, trained you and told you that he'd make sure no one screwed with you again. Got inside your head. Picked it apart. Rebuilt it with your only thought being loyalty to him. But then, when you met the team, Skye started to crawl her way in. Actually, given a bit more time, your loyalty to her might have surpassed your loyalty to Mr. Dickwad. Sadly, that time wasn't allotted, so you naturally went with the person you thought was the only one who cared about you."

He was speechless. She really was good at deducing things. He opened his mouth to respond, but closed it when he couldn't find the words to express himself.

She smiled sadly, nodding to herself as if he had confirmed her theory. "You know, you aren't a bad person. I was trained by the KGB as an assassin. Killed way more people than you did. Clint saw the good in me though, insisted that if I just gave him a chance, he'd help me be a better person. And he did. Everyone warmed up to me pretty fast, even Coulson. He wouldn't help you though. You know why?" She paused for a second, but then continued, not waiting for a reply. "Because you betrayed him. He was willing to give me another chance because he didn't know me directly. But with you, it was personal. They weren't willing to listen to you or your cries for help. Three suicide attempts and nobody lifted a finger to help you. In fact, I saw the footage. Skye told you to run faster." She watched as he visibly flinched, shrinking inward. "That's why I got you out of there. You don't deserve that. And you can't get a second chance with nobody willing to give you one. Originally, Thor was supposed to go in silently and get you out without anyone knowing who did it. But, this is Thor we're talking about. I probably should have expected that he couldn't do silent."

He laughed at that. It was reserved and insecure, but it was the first time he had reacted positively to anything in a while. Maybe Natasha was right. It was going to be a long road, but maybe he could be a better person.

She smiled brightly at his reaction, finally capping the drink and pushing herself to her feet. "There's a guest room down the hall and to the left. It's the last door in the hallway. You can crash in there. Tomorrow, we're gonna run out and grab some furniture and stuff you might need."

"I'm staying?" he croaked out, blinking rapidly.

She laughed loudly, amusement twinkling in her eyes. "Did you think I sent an Asgardian to bust your ass out of prison because I was going to throw you back onto the streets? No, you're staying with us. Get some sleep."

He nodded gratefully as they parted ways, walking to opposite ends of the room.

"By the way, I still plan on kicking your ass," she called over her shoulder.

Grant smiled.

"I figured as much," he shot back.


End file.
